"One day before Oregon’s usual Valentine’s Day statehood celebration this year, the Capitol was awash with reporters chasing a rare story on the abuse of access to power rather than the frosted sheet cake being handed out by the Oregon Wheat Growers League to mark the state’s 156th birthday.

In a state where ethical behavior is assumed rather than regulated, former Gov. John Kitzhaber offered his resignation in a pre-recorded speech heard in his reception room, while de facto-governor Kate Brown prepared for duty in the secretary of state’s office a floor below.

The US Attorney's Office and federal investigators were contacted by victims and provided with additional information related to official corruption and stalking and were asked to investigate obstruction of justice as they are focused on the problem in Oregon under John Kitzhaber and Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. Official corruption and targeting has been a longstanding problem which also was present under former Gov. Ted Kulongoski and former Attorney Generals Hardy Meyer and John Kroger. Witnesses with evidence were never contacted or interviewed.

Just a few examples of evidence of criminal activity traced to Oregon government offices that were provided:

A Senior Assistant Attorney General for the State of Oregon interviewed the above victim, a top residential real estate broker. Eight months later she contacted the victim and provided her with a list containing the names of four local attorneys and advised the victim to hire a attorney prior to resigning over ethics at the Oregon Department of Justice, stating "Interview these attorneys like I interviewed you. You don't want what happened to you to happen to anyone else."

*redacted to protect the victim's and attorney's identity. A forensic examiner for the state of Oregon confirmed the stalking and harassment but could not intervene due to a stated "conflict of interest". The stalking continued until 2013. Justice for victims like this has been actively obstructed by the Oregon Department of Justice on former Governor Ted Kulongoski's and John Kitzhaber's and now on Kate Brown's watch.

Then there are the crimes Oregon officials and law enforcement commit against government whistle blowers who bring threats towards Oregonians by union represented government employees to elected officials attention...total disregard for government employees constitutional right to due process and public name clearing hearings...

Exactly how many government whistle blowers, business owners and citizens have been harmed by Oregon officials political targeting and corruption? How many publicly-funded investigations have been tainted? How many elected officials "personal file drawers" hold incriminating evidence not disclosed in investigations and Public Records Requests? How many government whistle blowers and citizens have been shaken-down, extorted into paying hefty fines and slandered by officials, unions and the media without due process and public name clearing hearings?

And now that we know Oregon public officials know of this widespread corruption, WHO in authority will fully investigate all of the complaints and make the silent walking wounded whole? NO ONE. Because there is no integrity to be found. Not in the Governor's Office, not in the Oregon Department of Justice, not from Oregon judicial benches, not from the Oregon State Bar, not in the US Attorney's Office or the Portland Field Office of the FBI. Based on the established pattern of corruption in Oregon law enforcement and media, Oregonians will NEVER know the truth regarding official corruption in Oregon. And unfortunately because of this there will be many, many more victims.

In closing, evidence of criminal activity traced to state of Oregon government offices including the ODOJ was offered to the ACLU to assist them in identifying other victims at a time the ACLU was making public records requests related to allegations of digital misconduct at the ODOJ which included ODOJ staff spying on the head of the ODOJ's own civil rights division for using a "Black Lives Matter" hashtag.

The ACLU indicated it was not interested in additional evidence of digital criminal activity related to the ODOJ/Oregon government offices and rejected the caller, stating the non-profit either did not handle cases against corrupt government agencies that involved human rights violations such as the one reported, in addition to the volunteer stating that the agency was too busy to be bothered with it, asking the caller if they had ever donated money and/or time to the ACLU. The ACLU volunteer rejecting the offer of evidence suggested the caller was being "snarky" when expressing shock at the volunteer's disinterest in additional evidence of digital targeting and obstruction of justice at the ODOJ. You just can't make this stuff up.

Robert Kennedy used the phrase "small town crooks" to describe Oregon officials and law enforcement. Nothing's changed.

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle...."

Like Machiavelli's The Prince and the Japanese Book of Five Rings, Sun Tzu's The Art of War is as timely for business people today as it was for military strategists in ancient China. Written in China more than 2,000 years ago, Sun Tzu's classic The Art of War is the first known study of the planning and conduct of military operations. These terse, aphoristic essays are unsurpassed in comprehensiveness and depth of understanding, examining not only battlefield maneuvers, but also relevant economic, political, and psychological factors. Indeed, the precepts outlined by Sun Tzu regularly applied outside the realm of military theory. It is read avidly by Japanese businessmen and was touted in the movie Wall Street as the corporate raider's bible.

Providing a much-needed translation of this classic, Samuel Griffith has made this powerful and unique work even more relevant to the modern world. Including an explanatory introduction and selected commentaries on the work, this edition makes Sun Tzu's timeless classic perfectly accessible to modern readers. Click Here to buy it from Powell's Books today.

A new report says Oregon had the highest turnout of under-30 voters in the nation in the 2010 election. Since those voters skew Democratic in their voting, their relatively high turnout could have played a role in limiting Democratic losses in this state last year.

Republicans made major gains throughout the country in the last election but did less well in Oregon. Republicans did pick up eight legislative seats but did not win any additional congressional seats. And Democrat John Kitzhaber won by just 1.5 percentage points over Republican Chris Dudley.

The youth vote could have been yet another reason for his close victory.

Remembering the Power of Words recounts the personal and professional journey of Avel Gordly, the first African American woman elected to the Oregon State Senate.

The book is a brave and honest telling of Gordly’s life. She shares the challenges and struggles she faced growing up Black in Portland in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as her determination to attend college, the dedication to activism that took her from Portland to Africa, and her eventual decision to run for a seat in the state legislature.

That words have power is a constant undercurrent in Gordly’s account and a truth she learned early in life. “Growing up, finding my own voice,” she writes, “was tied up with denying my voice or having it forcefully rejected and in all of that the memory of my father is very strong. To this day—and I am today a very experienced public speaker—preparation to speak takes a great deal of energy.” That this memoir has its origins as an oral history is fitting since Gordly has used her voice, out loud, to teach and inspire others for many years.

Avel Louise Gordly has received numerous awards for her work as a legislator and community organizer on behalf of many organizations, including the Black United Front, Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom, the American Friends Service Committee, the Urban League of Portland, and the House of Umoja. She is Associate Professor in the Black Studies Department at Portland State University.